MANATHAKALI THEEYAL

Theeyal is a Kerala dish.  It is somewhat similar to Sambar, another popular dish of South India.  Theeyal can be prepared with mix  vegetables or a particular vegetable like pavakka, bitter gourd or Ulli (known as kunjulli or shallots, potato, egg plant, bhindi, raw mango etc.

This dish is made with the mixture of spices  like roasted coconut, coriander seeds, dried red chillies, fenugreek etc. and tamarind pulp is also used.

Theeyal means "burnt dish" here the coconut is roasted till golden brown in colour  as good as burnt the same.  This dish goes well with rice and included in a traditional sadya menu too.

But I am using the fresh Manathakali which I plucked from my balcony garden.  Let us look at the recipe now:

MANATHAKALI THEEYAL

Ingredients:

1 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 red chilli
1/4 cup manathakali
1 onion finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves
a small lemon size tamarind ball
few curry leaves

for making paste:

1 tsp oil
generous pinch of fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/4 cup grated coconut

Spice powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
salt as required.

for Garnishing:

chopped coriander leaves.
fried shallots.


for frying shallots:

 1 tsp oil
3-4 shallots chopped.


Method:

1.  In a kadai heat oil  fry the shallots and keep aside.
2.  In the same kadai, add the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black pepper and roast till nice aroma comes. remove from kadai, keep aside.
3.  In the same kadai, add the coconut and fry till golden brown. allow to cool and grind to a paste along with  item no.2 with little water.
4. Heat oil in kadai.  Add the mustard seeds. when it splutters, add the cumin seeds.  when it sizzles, add the red chilli pieces, fenugreek and curry leaves and saute for few seconds. Add the garlic cloves,  onion and saute till onion is translucent.  Add manathakali, spice powders and saute for few minutes.
5.  Add the tamarind water and boil till the raw smell goes.
6.  Add the ground paste in it and cook till the gravy thickens a bit.  The consistency should be not too watery nor very thick. 
7.  Garnish with fried shallots and coriander leaves.

How to serve;

Serve hot with rice.


Note:  If you do not have shallots, you can use onion.  But it is more tasty with the shallots/pearl onion.

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